And they do... the band says on their Tour Diary that the show has its ups and downs, but I don't see too many downs. There's a famous film director, I forget which one, whose definition of a good movie was "Three good scenes and no bad ones". This show has three excellent moments, and several very good bits too. The opening two-song combination - I took a friend to this show who had never heard Cowboy Junkies before, and I was worried that she might not understand the variety of experiences their music can provide. Well, the first song is No Birds Today, the most quiet, haunting, ethereal melody... which segues into the most up-tempo kick-butt rock song I Saw Your Shoes. Basically, the statement seemed to be, here are the two extremes we can go to. Sort of like drawing in big black outlines which will be colored in as the evening progresses. After just ten minutes I knew my friend had been baptized, hooked, whatever you want to call it. Excellent moment number two? Dragging Hooks. Keep in mind, this was before Open was released - and they play six songs from it. If you hadn't been listening to the bootlegs, this was all new stuff - and even if you had, some if it still was new. Dragging Hooks is an amazing jam, and I love hearing the live explorations - this version is a favorite. Excellent moment number three... Blue Guitar. Cookie Bob has said this may be the best Blue Guitar ever, and I can't disagree. Listen to that guitar. Sends chills down your spine, doesn't it? And there's more! Close My Eyes was brand-new at this show, and it later made it to Open. You Can Be Loved Too Much was another brand-new song - only the second time played, and one that fell out of the setlist again rather quickly. An interesting experimental piece, part of the ups and downs of working out your new album live on the road - and a treasured memory. And even the opening act was incredibly cool! I hadn't given Over The Rhine their proper dues when I saw the Junkies in '98, since I was frothing with anticipation of finally seeing the Junkies, but this time, the stripped-down Over The Rhine really put the hooks in me, and I'm very glad the taper caught what he did.

Bottom line: If you're still unsure, download and listen to the first two tracks. You'll want the rest, I guarantee.